Research & Development DivisionBusiness Administration DivisionExpected Environmental Friendliness and Promotion of DevelopmentWe understand that the value of research & development work is to create performance that is required or will be required at an acceptable cost. This is the value that a product must have, but we believe that environmental friendliness should be added as well.LINTEC’s Development of Hot-melt Type Adhesives Contributing to the Reduction of CO₂ Emissions through the Non-use of Organic SolventsThere are various methods and means when it comes to environment-friendly treatments. Among them, the “HVT Series” is a hot melt adhesive*3 that does not use organic solvents in the manufacturing process. Emulsion-type adhesives are the same in terms of environmental friendliness in that they do not use organic solvents, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages, allowing them to complement each other and serve a wide range of product areas.Toward the Achievement of Our GoalsAs mentioned above, in addition to continuing to consider the elimination of organic solvent use, we would like to realize development in which we will be able to propose replacement with more environment-friendly products, not to mention continuing to work to reduce the thickness of the base material and develop adhesives that use a smaller coating quantity by proactively selecting bio-mass materials. Many products I develop are familiar items we see and touch in our daily life, and I feel that, for example, “there will be no problem if a plastic item is replaced by a paper item for a specific use.” I would like to continue to develop eco-friendly products while making use of these daily experiences.Proposals for Environment-conscious Products to Satisfy Diversified Customer DemandsToward the realization of a sustainability world, environmental awareness has risen in various fields, and needs for environment-friendly labels for a variety of products have also been increasing.Expanding Solvent-free ProductsIn particular, we have received more and more inquiries on reducing CO2 emissions. One of our efforts in particular we have been focusing on is to reduce the amount of organic solvents used in the manufacturing process. As an example of our initiatives toward solvent-free adhesives, we sell a product line that used “CHILL AT,” a hot melt adhesive. This product is praised due to its environmental performance, such as less CO2 emissions at the material and manufacturing stages compared to products using solvent-based adhesives, in addition to the added feature that the product can be attached in a cool or frozen environment. Toward the Achievement of Our GoalsGoing forward, regarding initiatives for products with low environmental burden other than solvent-free products, we will work on reducing the coat thickness of materials used, which will lead to a reduction in plastic use, and recycling of release paper, etc. Furthermore, LINTEC not only develops labelstocks but labeling machines as well, and we are proposing thin film labeling machines that enable labeling using PET 12μm base materials, which had been considered difficult until now. We plan to focus on developing and proposing thin film labelstocks compatible with this thin film labeling machine. In addition, we are examining ways to collect, recycle, and reuse release paper that becomes waste after the label is used.In order to meet the various needs of our customers to reduce their environmental impact, LINTEC offers a wide lineup of labelstocks with lower environmental burden such as the “KINATH KP Series,” which is made of materials recycled from PET bottles, and the “PLALESS Series” which is a labelstock alternative to plastic based on our washing-resistant paper technology.Furthermore, in 2023, we launched a product line that applies the new hot melt adhesive “HVT,” our proprietary development. In contrast to “CHILL AT,” which is excellent in attachment performance in a low-temperature environment, “HVT” has excellent attachment performance under normal to high temperatures, and is applicable for wider use, from daily necessities to cosmetics and medical products.*3 Hot melt adhesive: An adhesive formulation that is applied while melting it with heat. Characteristics include less environmental impact due to not using organic solvents in the coating process, and less CO2 emissions due to no requirement for drying facilities.Takahiro TsuyusakiProduct Research Department Research Center of the Research & Development DivisionKentaro MiyazakiTechnical Planning Office21
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